THE December meeting of Kilrush Town Council was abandoned in chaos on Thursday night following a heated row between town manager Anne Haugh and Councillor Tom Prendeville, who claimed he was more qualified than the town manager.
During the row, it emerged that the town council executive had wanted Councillor Prendeville to apologise for a comment made to a council official earlier this year at a meeting discussing the placement of double yellow lines on both sides of the Back Road, outside St Senan’s National School.
At this week’s meeting, Councillor Liam O’Looney asked the manager to report on any progress on the proposed layby on the road. The motion, inadvertently, led to the row igniting between Councillor Prendeville and Ms Haugh.
“I have studied. I’ve a lot more qualifications than you have,” Councillor Prendeville told MsHaugh.
“Could you withdraw that? Withdraw that comment. What qualifications have I got? How dare you,” the town manager replied.
“I won’t be attending the next meeting where you want to discuss this issue either. How dare you,” the town manager added, as she prepared to depart the meeting early.
“That’s what ye do. Ye get in a huff. That’s what your executive engineer did as well. He got in a huff as well and he walked out,” Councillor Prendeville claimed.
“Apologies mayor and members,” Ms Haugh said as she left the meeting, which was held in the Vandeleur Walled Garden.
“That’s not the result I wanted here. I’ve had a long day. This is not what I wanted this evening,” town mayor Paul Moroney said.
The meeting continued for another couple of minutes before it was abandoned, as councillors questioned Councillor Prendeville’s comments towards the town manager.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.